CHAPTER 24 #2
Back at the beach, we had the trees protecting us.
Out here, this is real life. No pretending like this is a fairytale where age doesn’t matter.
I’m not a Prince, and Tek is no Knight in shining armour.
Here, he’s a man closer to forty than I am thirty, and that comes with judgmental eyes and extra scrutiny.
And I can't dictate how he handles that.
I can want him with my entire body, mind, and soul, but if he pulls the pin before it’s even fully hammered down, I just have to deal with it.
I told him how I feel.
I told him I can’t keep working at the shop if we have to go back to ignoring our feelings.
But still, every single ball is in his court.
This is his home.
His business.
His group of friends.
His entire ass is on the line if someone wants to start a vicious rumor.
And none of those things even take Eden into consideration.
I love him, but I’ve lived most of my life without him. Tek, on the other hand, has his whole life intertwined with that stubborn son of a bitch. I might be willing to give my brother the middle finger if he disapproves, but that’s as deep as my stakes go…
The keys jingle in Tek’s hand as he pulls them out. “C’mon. I’ll help you get all your stuff inside.”
I smile and get out because I’m scared of sounding stupid for thanking him.
With my backpack on and my surfboard under my arm, I reach in and grab my sleeping bag.
“That’s enough.” Tek bats my hand out of the way when I try to pick up the tent. I step back and watch him climb in and drag the cooler towards the step. “D’you want your lube?”
“Nah, leave it there.” I turn towards the building. “Who knows when we might need it again.”
As I scan the fob that lets me into the building, I hear the van door closed.
I hold the door open with my foot and wait for him, and it makes me feel way too warm and fuzzy inside to see him carrying my tent and cooler.
Like, to anyone walking by he’s just a friend helping me out, but they don’t know our dirty little secret.
That turns me on way more than it should.
Way, way more.
I know how much women want this man. And to think, I’m the one he fucked last night.
I’m the one he broke his rules for.
I’m the one he spent the night cuddled up with.
I’m the one he kissed.
“What are you so happy about?”
“Nothing.” I shake my head and try to keep myself from smiling.
Inside the elevator our arms touch then we catch each other's eyes in the reflection of the door.
Butterflies fill my stomach and I blush, but he’s the first to look away.
Out in the hall, I lead the way and open the door.
“Just put the cooler in the fridge nook,” I tell Tek as I walk my board and bag into the spare room.
“There’s a fucking roach in there.”
“That’s Tommy,” I call out to him.
“The fuck?” I hear his footsteps nearing, and when he’s at the door I turn around.
“He’s a great room mate.” The look on Tek’s face reads perplexed. “He doesn’t eat much, and he keeps to himself.”
“It’s a dead. Fucking. Cockroach.”
I shrug. “And what about it?”
“It’s disgusting.”
“It’s one, and it’s dead. Once you live in the tropics, you stop caring about them so much.” His eyes bulge, and I sigh. “They’re everywhere there. And it’s not because things aren’t clean.”
“But this isn’t the tropics. It’s North Washington.”
“And it’s only one. It’s not like the place is swarming with them.”
“Why not just pick it up?”
I throw my sleeping bag onto the futon. “He’s been there since the day I arrived.”
“It’s next to where you keep your food.”
“Yeah, but it’s not touching it.”
He steps towards me. “Carey, that’s—”
“The place isn’t dirty. The sink is clean and the bathroom is spotless.” I step around Tek to hang Eden’s jacket up on the edge of the open wardrobe door.
“So why leave a dead bug in your kitchen?”
“I don’t know!” I snap at him. “I just can’t move it, okay? I know it’s weird. I know you think I’m disgusting.”
“I don’t think you’re disgusting.” His voice is soft. So much softer than I’m used to.
“I’m not dirty. Everything in here has its place.” I gesture around the room. To my suitcase, bed, and the furniture I got from Harry’s Hut. “It’s tidy, and… what does it matter?”
I watch as Tek looks around the room, actually taking it in.
He turns back to me with a creased brow. “Do you only live in this room?”
“Where else do you want me to spend my time? The place was stripped out when I got here.”
Stepping backwards into the hall, Tek looks towards the front door.
With another shake of my head, I huff past him with my backpack still on. “I swear you don’t listen to anything I say.”
“What?” He follows me into the bathroom.
“I told you the place was empty. I told you why I bought that furniture.” I put my bag on the sink and unload my toiletries, leaving my towel and dirty clothes inside.
“I didn’t think it was this bad.”
“Whatever.” My eyes meet his in the vanity's reflection. He’s still at the door, his arms braced on the frame like he’s trying to hold himself back. “Thanks for helping me in, but I’ve gotta get to the laundromat.”
“But you just got home.”
“And this is my only towel.”
Taking hold of one of the straps, I turn around, and the bag falls from the sink. It feels heavy in my grip, but nowhere near as heavy as Tek’s hand against my chest. “Pack all your stuff.”
“Don’t be stupid.” I try to walk around him but he side-steps to stop me.
“Pack all your stuff, Carey.” This time his voice is firmer, deeper.
“Why?”
“Cause you’re not staying here anymore.”
My stomach tightens, and it feels like I weigh a ton, but also like I’m weightless at the same time. “What are you trying to say?”
Tek grabs my thighs and lifts me onto the sink.
My back pack falls to the tiles.
His hands hold my face.
“I’m saying, you’re coming home with me.”
“Why would you want that?” My words shake out, and I’m ashamed for being so damn needy.
“Because you deserve better than this.”
I reach for his sides. “Is that the only reason?”
“Maybe I want uninterrupted access to you as well.”
I lean in closer. “What about my days off?”
“I think I might need you full time.”
I speak against his lips. “Is that so?”
“It is.”
His mouth is on mine, and I melt into him.
He tastes like fire, and every forbidden thing I’ve ever wanted.
He presses himself against me so tightly I struggle to breathe, and for a second, I want him to suffocate me because I’ve never felt so wanted in my life.
I push into him.
He nips at my tongue, and his stubble scratches my chin.
I let him take what he wants.
My body.
My breath.
My sanity.
My soul.
I’m all in. I always have been.
His hands drift from my jaw to my back and down my sides. “I need…” He huffs against my neck. “I need to get you home.”
I run my fingers through his hair then down the entire length of his spine. “Is there anything else you want to tell me before we leave?”
I can feel him smiling against my skin. “Omma wants you over for Christmas.”
I scratch beneath his shirt. “And how long have you known that?”
“Since Thanksgiving.”
Gripping his jaw, I force his head back. His eyes lose focus before regaining clarity, but I can tell he’s not gonna fight me. “And you’re only just telling me now?”
“I wasn’t sure if I could handle you being there.”
I dig into the soft flesh just below his ears. “Naughty, naughty.”
This time his eyes flutter, and with one quick glance down, I can see how hard he is. “In our family, Christmas lasts till New Years.”
I grip his cock through his sweats. “And that’s bad because?”
“I don’t know how I’m gonna resist you for that long.”
“So don’t.”